


Center of the Universe

by skywalkersamidala



Category: I Medici | Medici: Masters of Florence (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Family, Fluff, M/M, Weddings, history who? don't know her, i have a feeling that, is going to become a frequent tag for me, this fic is implausible on many levels but just let me have this okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 18:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17986550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skywalkersamidala/pseuds/skywalkersamidala
Summary: It couldn’t be a proper wedding, not really. They would never be considered married in the eyes of the church or the law. But as Francesco rested his head on Lorenzo’s chest and listened to his heart beating, slow and steady, as Lorenzo’s arms wrapped around him, holding him close and keeping him safe, he found he didn’t much care.





	Center of the Universe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sol_Invictus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sol_Invictus/gifts).



> so I made this gifset (http://markantonys.tumblr.com/post/183169395161/whydoes-this-look-like-they-are-getting-married) yesterday as a joke but then Sol_Invictus was like "please write this fic" soooo this happened haha

It couldn’t be a proper wedding, not really. They would never be considered married in the eyes of the church or the law. And nobody would ever know about it, besides them and the few people they trusted enough to confide in, the ones they had invited to this pseudo wedding ceremony at the Medici home.

But as Francesco rested his head on Lorenzo’s chest and listened to his heart beating, slow and steady, as Lorenzo’s arms wrapped around him, holding him close and keeping him safe, he found he didn’t much care.

In their hearts, Lorenzo was his husband now and Francesco was his. And that was all that mattered.

Lorenzo pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I love you,” he whispered.

Francesco smiled, lifting his head to look up at him. As it had so many times before, Lorenzo’s beauty took his breath away. The fact that this man, who was so full of love and light and all the good things in this world, had chosen _him_ to bestow his love upon…that was even more breathtaking.

“I love you too,” Francesco said, and when Lorenzo smiled back at him, he was certain he had never felt so much happiness in all his life.

* * *

Lucrezia smiled to herself as she watched her son with Francesco on the other side of the room, the utter joy on his face evident even from this distance. With a stab of wistfulness she found herself reminiscing about her wedding to Piero, many years ago. He had looked at her the same way Lorenzo was looking at Francesco.

It was this same observation that had calmed her shock the first time she realized what was between Lorenzo and Francesco. Unable to sleep, she had gone for a walk around the house late one night and had been about to step into the courtyard for some fresh air when the sound of voices stopped her.

_Lorenzo! Not here!_

_Why not? Everyone is asleep, there is no one here but us._

Lucrezia had peeked around the corner and seen two figures standing in the shadows, one of them Lorenzo and the other, she had been astonished to realize, Francesco Pazzi. Lorenzo had kissed him then, and when he drew back the moonlight had splashed across his face and Lucrezia had seen him smiling at Francesco as if he was the center of his universe.

_That wasn’t so bad, was it?_

_You will get us into trouble one of these days. You have no shame._

_That’s why you love me._

_True enough._

Lucrezia had quietly slipped out of sight, returning to her bedroom with this new knowledge. It had explained why Lorenzo was always so evasive when she mentioned marriage, always made excuses and changed the subject. And Lucrezia, thinking of her beloved Piero, had realized that she couldn’t find it in herself to force her son into a marriage when his heart belonged to another. She loved him too much to see him unhappy, even if it meant forfeiting a potential alliance for the family.

And besides, _didn’t_ his relationship with Francesco create an alliance? It was the final nail in the coffin of the animosity between the Medici and the Pazzi. Lucrezia still remembered the lost-looking little boy who had been forcibly dragged from their home by Jacopo all those years ago, and it felt only right that he should now return to them. To his real family. She wished Contessina could be here now to see that all was well again at last.

“What are you thinking of?”

Starting out of her reverie, she turned and saw Guglielmo standing beside her with two cups of wine. He offered one to her, and she took it with a smile of thanks. “My wedding to Piero,” she said.

“I was thinking of mine to Bianca,” he replied. “And thinking how glad I am that my brother gets to experience the same love that I have. I only wish he didn’t have to hide it.”

Lucrezia nodded, her smile turning a little sad. “As do I. But at least for the moment, they don’t seem to mind.”

Guglielmo laughed. “No, they don’t.”

* * *

“Disgusting,” Giuliano said, shaking his head as he watched his brother—there was no other word for it— _snuggling_ with Francesco. “They do know there are other people here, don’t they?”

“Oh, hush,” Bianca said. “It’s their wedding day, let them enjoy it. You remember how Guglielmo and I were at our wedding, don’t you?”

“I try not to.” Giuliano huffed and crossed his arms. “I still can’t believe the Pazzi have stolen my _whole family.”_

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’ll be as dramatic as I like, thank you.”

“Doesn’t seeing our brother so happy make _you_ happy?” Bianca said. “Or are you completely heartless?”

“I never said I didn’t want him to be happy,” Giuliano said. “Only that I can’t even _begin_ to understand what he sees in Francesco Pazzi. Of all the people in the world to fall in love with…”

“Love strikes without reason or sense,” Bianca said wisely. “You’ll understand someday.”

Suddenly Giuliano found himself thinking of Simonetta, and when Francesco murmured something in Lorenzo’s ear that made him smile broadly, Giuliano didn’t quite have the heart to keep complaining.

* * *

Tenderly, Lorenzo rested his hand on Francesco’s cheek, the smile on his face making his own heart feel like it would burst. What a privilege it was to see Francesco like this, happy and gentle and affectionate, when there had once been a time when he was all arrogance and anger and coldness. And the dramatic change was all because he loved Lorenzo. There was no greater joy in the world, Lorenzo thought, than seeing your lover’s smile and knowing you were the cause of it.

This love he had for Francesco was one of the purest things he had ever felt. Lorenzo did not, could not believe that God condemned it, regardless of what the church said. On the contrary, he was certain that God was smiling down on their union today. What else could explain the perfect happiness he felt in this moment?

“I can still hardly believe how fortunate I am,” Francesco said. “To be loved by you.”

Lorenzo shook his head, leaning in and kissing his forehead. “I’m the fortunate one,” he said. “You are…everything to me, Francesco. The very center of my universe. Without you I would be lost.”

Francesco said nothing in response; Lorenzo knew he was still not quite accustomed to expressing his feelings in such eloquent words. But he closed the distance between them and captured Lorenzo’s lips in a kiss, and that said more than any words could have.


End file.
